We were lucky to catch up with Peter Gulsvig recently and have shared our conversation below.
Peter, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?
I didn’t begin working in animation until my late 20’s. Prior to working in animation, I did a lot of theater and earned a BA in history. After college, I worked at restaurants, taught English overseas, and worked at Disneyland (very briefly). I’ve been working in animation for over ten years now, most of my colleagues are younger than I am and many began work sooner. At times I feel a little behind, but I genuinely never wish I started sooner. On every project, I find opportunities to draw from all of my past experiences. Things I learned from my time studying history, performing on stage, and learning different cultures all help me in ways that define my work. I do however, feel I could have moved out to LA sooner. I have been out here for six years, and the transition was extremely smooth and stable. I am not sure if it would have been as easy if I tried early.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
After attending Vancouver Film School’s classical animation program, I began my career working on commercials in NYC, and later as an animator in Atlanta on “Archer” and other various cartoons. I knew storyboarding provided more consistent work, so I moved to Los Angeles six years ago. I’ve been at Titmouse Inc. as a storyboarder ever since. I work primarily in adult animated comedy. Most of my time has been spent on “Big Mouth” and its spin-off, “Human Resources.” I frequently hop on to various Adult Swim productions between seasons. With the exception of the recent strikes, work has been very consistent. The union’s medical insurance is also fantastic, making life much easier. A career high point was having my animation accepted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018.
In my professional studio work, I pride myself on precision and clarity. In my personal work however, I try to embrace a looser approach, in both visual and story aspects. It is very easy to become entrenched in making something “perfect.” I find there is a certain beauty and perfection in simplicity. There is nothing more perfect than a quick, funny, shitty drawing!
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Lowering costs of living and having easier access to healthcare would benefit everyone, including artists. Many of my peers, myself included, would likely pursue their own projects and paths, but ballooning rents and uncertain health situations make it impossible to take breaks or even strike out on their own.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.petergulsvig.com
- Instagram: petehasfriends